Enacts the student suicide prevention act

• Democratic16
• Republican1

◆ The sponsor's argument

Why Erik Bottcher says this is needed

Each year, 4,600 children aged 10 to 19 die by suicide in the United States, making it the second leading cause of death for that age group. For every suicide by a teenager, there are at least 100 suicide attempts; more than 17% of teenagers in New York have considered suicide and around 10% have attempted it. According to a study by Yale Universi- ty, victims of bullying are between 2 and 9 times as likely to consider suicide as non-victims. A study in Great Britain found that half of the suicides of young people were related to bullying. Both bullies and victims of bullies have a higher risk of developing mental health issues, particularly depression, later in life. Schools play a critical role in suicide prevention and intervention efforts. School-aged youth spend around 1/3 of their life in schools, giving teachers, administrators and other school staff the ability to provide effective support for children in crisis. When kids are suicidal or engaging in any kind of self-harm, it is essential that the adults around them be equipped to recognize issues and respond appropriately. This bill provides for a suicide prevention program in schools.

This is the sponsor's own case for the bill, quoted from their memorandum. It is not Agora's description of what the bill does.